Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Location: University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, Immokalee, FL
Position description:
A postdoctoral position is available with the Soil Microbiology Lab at the University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee, FL, to examine the impact of cover crops and row-middle management in citrus. The SWFREC is located in the in the heart of citrus and vegetable production in Florida and provides a unique opportunity to combine scientific research with the needs of the industry.
The primary field project consists of field trials evaluating cover crop mixes and mowing on the soil microbiome, tree health, and citrus production. The project will focus on correlation of microbial community composition, soil chemistry, root growth, and plant growth data, and determining if treatments have specific impacts on the soil microbiome. Expertise in environmental microbial ecology, molecular methods, including high-throughput amplicon sequencing and qPCR, and bioinformatics is required. Experience in shotgun metagenomics is preferred.
The incumbent will develop hypotheses based on current literature, design and conduct experiments, perform work in the laboratory and field, analyze data, and prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The postdoctoral associate will work independently with minimal supervision. This is a 2.5-year position.
Responsibilities:
• Experimental design
• Field sample collection and processing
• Data analysis and interpretation
• Review of relevant literature
• Preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals
Minimum qualifications:
• PhD in bioinformatics, environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, or biogeochemistry • Expertise in bioinformatics for environmental microbiology
• Experience with unix/command line
• Evidence of effective scientific writing and publication in English
Preferred qualifications: Experience in soil microbiology, proficiency with R and QIIME2, proficiency in programming (python), experience with grant writing
Advertised salary: $50,000 plus benefits
Open date: March-April 2019, but application review begins immediately
Special instructions to applicants:
Interested persons should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a list of 3 references, including contact information, to Dr. Sarah Strauss (strauss@ufl.edu).Cover Crop postdoc ad letterhead